“Jason has tremendous knowledge, gained from his experience as a technician,” said Keith Watkins, McElroy’s vice president. “He thoroughly understands commercial HVAC service, as well as building controls systems. Although Jason rarely works in the field anymore, when he sells our services, his expertise makes him very effective and trusted. His word is good as gold, so customers know he’ll direct our team to do what’s best for their needs.” On July 14, 2026, we congratulate Jason Long for 25 years with McElroy’s. His wealth of experience and willingness to help others make him a valuable source for solutions that work.

Interest in HVAC

Jason grew up in Carbondale, Kansas, and attended the Santa Fe Trail school district. His parents were friends with Keith Watkins’ parents. Keith now leads McElroy’s commercial HVAC service department and McElroy Controls. “Keith is five years older than I am and I’ve known him my entire life,” Jason said. “While I was still in school, Keith worked on my parents’ HVAC system, and that looked interesting to me. I grew up helping my grandpa Charlie with his farm, so I already knew I enjoy working with my hands. Learning the HVAC trade seemed like the right move.”

The “Premier Company”

Jason attended Kaw Area Vo Tech and completed the Heating & Air program. He got a job with an HVAC company and after about a year with them, a position opened at McElroy’s. “My parents always said McElroy’s was the area’s premier company and that’s where I ought to be, so I applied,” Jason said. He got a job starting in residential HVAC service and installation. Over time Jason moved into McElroy’s growing commercial service division. “After a while, I thought the grass was greener at a bigger company, so I left McElroy’s. The new company had me doing too much of the same thing, and I got bored. When Keith asked me to return and work in McElroy’s building controls division, I was glad to return. I plan to work here until I retire now!”

Real-world Knowledge

Keith became McElroy’s commercial HVAC service manager, and in 2014 he was looking for someone to focus on sales. Jason applied and moved into the position. As that team grew, Brit Hunsicker also began helping with sales. “Jason really knows his stuff and clients value his real-world knowledge,” Brit said. “Many of our customers today are people Jason served as a field tech, so he can offer solutions he has personally proven. He evaluates the situation, and provides options and prices. It can run from a simple repair, to replacing components to a complete system replacement if that’s the best choice. Jason focuses on the wisest long-term solution for each customer.”

Building Controls

While Jason still shares commercial HVAC sales with Brit, the building controls side has expanded significantly and now operates as McElroy Controls. “I spend half of my time selling controls system installation, programming and service,” Jason said. “I did years of field work installing and programming Solidyne controls. A couple of years ago we moved forward as an authorized dealer of ASI Controls and became Tridium Niagara 4 Certified. ASI offers extremely powerful controls systems that can connect the widest variety of devices into one easily understood platform. With internet access, you can observe and manage your system, anytime and anywhere.”

Patient Mentor

“When I was a young tech, Jason and I worked closely together installing and programming controls in the field,” said Dylan Huninghake, McElroy Controls technician. “Jason is easy to talk to and can be friends with anyone. He was a patient mentor and never made me feel bad for making young-guy mistakes. When there are issues, Jason aims for the core of the problem, and how it can be fixed. I gained confidence learning from Jason, and that prepared me to take on newer and bigger challenges, and continue learning and growing.”

Family

Jason and his wife, Jaime, live outside of Overbrook, Kansas, where they enjoy yardwork and gardening a wide variety of vegetables and melons. Jaime played college softball for the Missouri Western Griffons and is a fan of college and professional baseball and softball. Jason and Jaime like riding in a UTV side-by-side and have many friends with whom they enjoy off-road adventures. Their son, Talan, is 20 and owns a lawn-care business with a friend. They serve the Lawrence and western Kansas City region and have plans to grow. Daughter Taylor, 18, will attend Emporia State University to study nursing. The whole family takes advantage of a ball diamond that they built on their property.

Solving Pain-points

The McElroy’s commercial HVAC service team now includes 26 field technicians, in addition to Keith, Jason and Brit. McElroy Controls also continues to expand. “We’re doing more controls work in new construction now, as well as on the service side,” Jason said. “Our expertise in ASI Controls has especially fueled that growth. Whichever area I’m working on, though, my goal is the same as always – identifying customer pain-points and figuring out how to solve them.” We at McElroy’s applaud Jason for his steady growth, in-depth knowledge and reliable service. Thank you, Jason, for providing 25 years of solutions for our customers and our team!